The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and do not necessarily constitute prior art.
Recently, home networks are established to enable interconnections and integral management of various devices installed in customer premises such as a PC, a TV, a set-top box, a mobile device, an audio system, an air conditioner, a boiler, lights, a gas valve and a front door. As a protocol for standardization related to sharing of media contents in a home network, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is emerging. The DLNA defines device classes for sharing and controlling media over a home network by a Digital Media Server (hereinafter, referred to as “DMS”), a Digital Media Player (or “DMP”), a Digital Media Renderer (or “DMR”), and a Digital Media Controller (or “DMC”). Briefly, a DMS device serves to manage and provide local content over a network, a DMP device serves to retrieve the content managed by the DMS device and plays the content on the player in the DMP device itself. A DMR device receives and plays the content according to a request from a DMC device. The DMC device retrieves the content managed by the DMS and establishes configurations for playback in the DMR and to maintain connections between the DMR and DMS devices.
The DLNA defines three scenarios in relation to basic DLNA services. The DLNA service scenarios include 2-Box Push, 2-Box Pull and 3-Box scenarios.
FIG. 1A is an exemplary diagram of basic DLNA service scenario illustrating a 2-Box Push scenario. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a content of a device 110 is played on another device 120 and the device 110 serves as a DMS device.
FIG. 1B is an exemplary diagram of basic DLNA service scenario illustrating a 2-Box Pull scenario. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, a principal device 130 plays media of another device 110 and serves as a DMP device.
FIG. 1C is an exemplary diagram of basic DLNA service scenario illustrating a 3-Box scenario. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, a principal device 140 serving as a DMC device causes media of another device 110 to be played by yet another device 120.
Sharing of media content in a home network based on the DLNA service scenarios is basically provided by an on-screen interface designed to share a single medium. In other words, such DLNA service based media sharing is incapable of providing a shared multiple media through individual control of multiple devices.